DRIVERS on Arriva Trains Wales are to strike for 24 hours on the day Wales play England in the Six Nations rugby union competition.

Rail Maritime and Transport union members will walk out in a dispute over pay and conditions for 24 hours on Friday, February 4, with Wales playing England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff that evening.

The train company said it couldn’t provide replacement buses for the 32,000 customers it normally transports to this game, and advised people not to travel on any train for safety reasons. Peter Leppard, of Arriva Trains Wales, which is offering drivers a 12% pay rise over two years, said: “We are extremely frustrated.” The RMT said the offer was too low.